Assange decries BoA action

WikiLeaks founder
Julian Assange
has denounced “business McCarthyism" in the US after the Bank of America halted all transactions to the website.

The Australian vowed the whistle-blowing website would carry on releasing leaked documents, and insisted his life was under threat.

Bank of America (BoA), the largest US bank, on Saturday halted all transactions for WikiLeaks, joining other institutions that refuse to process payments for the website.

“Bank of America joins in the actions previously announced by MasterCard, PayPal, Visa Europe and others and will not process transactions of any type that we have reason to believe are intended for WikiLeaks," it said in a statement.

“This decision is based upon our reasonable belief that WikiLeaks may be engaged in activities that are, among other things, inconsistent with our internal policies for processing payments."

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“It’s a new type of business McCar­thyism in the US to deprive this organisation of the funds that it needs to survive, to deprive me personally of the funds that my lawyers need to protect me against extradition to the US or to Sweden," he said.

The term was coined to describe the anti-communist pursuits of former US senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1940s and 1950s.

Mr Assange is staying at the mansion of journalist friend Vaughan Smith as part of his bail conditions while he fights extradition. He must also report daily to the police station in the nearby market town of Beccles, eastern England. Mr Assange, who had been held in a London jail before being granted bail, is wanted for questioning in Sweden over allegations that he sexually assaulted two women, which he denies.

“The case in Sweden is a travesty in the way it has been conducted. No person should be exposed to that type of investigation or persecution," he said. “It’s not performed in an open way; there are lots of underhanded dealings, giving out selected materials that we do even have.

He added: “I have seen a statement from one of the witnesses that she was bamboozled . . . I have heard a rumour that one has withdrawn her statement."

The former computer hacker said he feared for his safety.

“There is a threat to my life. There is a threat to my staff. There are significant risks facing us," he said.